Push-button.



7 I /,2 1 m w D.,R LOVEJOY.

PUSH BUTTON. Arrmouxoir FILED JULY 30, 1907.

955,521 Patented Apr. 19,1910.

Fl G1.

FIG] FIGS. FIG.9. Fume. Tami,

To all-whom may concern: lie it known that i, H ,Y

$01, a citizen or the Uni r. residing P at lrvington, in the county i'i esteocsier and State of New Y 1-5, have invented :1

new and useful improvement in rusmBui noes Love I. s tons, or which the :tollowrog 1s a specifica tion.

Ely invention'reletes to electric push buttons, the object being to provide a device which shall be simple and inexpensive to construct, reliable in operation, and having 9. minimum number of parts,also which may be readily assembled and disassembled without the use of tools of any kind, and is held together without the use of screws, pins,

' or similar devices.

lln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the whole device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with the shell removed. Fig. i is a sectional View through the contacts. Fig. 5 is a cross section at right angles to t. Fig. 6 is aside elevation of the finger piece and contact tongue. Figs. 'Z, 8, and 9 are de tails of the contact springs. Fig. 10 is a cross section of the insulating base, through one of the contact springs. Fig. 11 isa detail. Fig. 12 is a cross section of the finger piece and con'act tongue. Figs. '13 and 1a are details of the contact tongue.

The several parts of the button are, a shell 1 provided with an inwardly turned flange 2 adapted to retain in place an insulating base 3 by means of a shoulder 4 formed integrally with said base and bearing upon said flange 2. The shell 1 is slotted longitudinally as at 5 to facilitate its elastically gripping the base 3 with a firnrfrictional pressure sufiicient to retain it with certainty in place, and yet yielding enough to allow itswithdrawal when required. Shell 1 is also provided with lugs 6 punched in its walls and springing outwardly to retain the whole button in place when same is inserted in a hole bored in woodwork etc. in the man nerusual in this class of button.

\ and i.

Serial 330. 386,291.

ders l0, 10 of the contact springslhwhcn same are inserted in the holes 7. These con tact springsare preferably formed of resilient sheet metal and are bent or folded. as

.shown in the drawing so as to them to be inserted in the holes 7 from the hack of the base 3 and to be firmly held ther in by bending the projecting ends 12 back into channels 13 formed in the front side of base 3, after the manner shown inl igs. 3 The springs 11 are thus retained in place without screws or other fasteningsheing prevented from moving in one direction by their shoulders 10 hearing against the bottoms of recesses 9, and from znov g in the other direction by the bent portions 12,

As clearly shown. in Fig. a, the depth of each of t'hc holes"; is greater than the combined thic see of the folds oi metal tuting the contact springs ll, which are contained said holes, in consequence of which, the-folds are permitted to move freely "nQaid holes and in the direction of the depth thereof. By the term depth, is

meant the dimension of the -hole normal to the motion cat the contact tongue. v

The central hole 8 is adapted to receive the metallic tongue 14: which is attached to the finger piece 15 in a manner hereinafter to be set forth. This tongue ld whon torced back by means out the pressure of the finger upon the piece 15, is adapted to enter betweenthe ends Not the contact springs 11, forcing them apartand melting a scraping electrical contact with each, thereby-bridging across the insulating gap between them and completing the circuit. lfhe tongue'le is withdrawn, and the circuit'broken by the elasticitybf the spring 18 which is interposed between the finger piece 15 and the base 3, and it is limited in its movement in this direction by a bent wire' piecelt) lying Y within a channel 22 formed in the back of base 3 and passing through a slot 16 formed in the tongue 14, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4:,

5, and 6. The bent wire piece 1911s in turn held in'place by means of its inwardly turned ends 20 hooking over suitable recesses 26 formed in the base 3, and isof such shape, and dimensions as to touch neither the shell 1 nor the sides of the slot 16, said slot being considerably wider than ids the diameter of the wire of which 191is made, while slot-s or channels'2lintl1'e sides of base 3 permit the legs of 19 'todie partially embedded therein at the points by means of a circular fiat ended hollowpunch which spreads it out into a flat washer shape larger in diameter than the original cup, thus forcing its periphery strongly into the material of 15 and serving to firmly retain it therein.

This push button is in many-respects similar to the one invented by me and set forth in my pending application #361372, and I do not therefore claim all of its features as new. i

What I do claim as new, and wish to se- I cure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a push button, the combination with an insulating base provided with three longitudinal holes, of contact springs contained within two of said holes, and a contact bar movable within the third hole, said springs having free ends exterior to said holes and adapted to make electrical connection with said contact bar, said springs having shoulders and bent portions and said springs being retained within said holes by said shoulders and bent portions, said base being provided with depressions for receiving said shoulders and bent-portions.

2. In a push button, the combination with an insulating base having longitudinal holes, of contacts, a circuit closingbar, and a stop for limiting the movement of said bar, said contacts having bent portions and lat eral shoulders and said contacts being retained within said longitudinal holes in said base by said bent portions and lateral shoulders, said base being provided with depressions for receiving said bent portions and shoulders, and said stop being a wire detachably fastened to said base.

3. in a push button, the combination with an insulating base provided with three longitudinal holes, of a movable Contact bar adapted to play freely in one hole, and a contact spring contained within each of the remaining two holes, said contact springs having bent portions and lateral shoulders and said contact springs being retained in said holes by said bent portions and lateral shoulders, and said base being provided wardly out 0 said holes and adapted to. make electrical connection with said contact bar, a retractile spring between said finger piece and said base, and a stop bearing on said base and passing through said slot in said contact bar for the purpose of limiting its forward movement due to the pressure of said retractile spring.

%.V In a push button, the, combination of a cylindrical insulating base having three rectangular, parallel, longitudinal holes, contact springs inserted in two of said holes, and a rigid circuit closingbar passing freely through the third hole and adapted to protrude rearwardly therefrom, said contact springs being formed of sheet metal into limbs and having wider portions, all of said limbs of each spring being contained within the same hole and said springs being retained in said holes by said widerportions formin shoulders and by being bent at one en after having been inserted in said holes, said base being provided with depressions below its end surfaces to receive said shoulders and said bent portions of said springs.

5. In a push bottom-an insulating base having three holes, contact springs mounted in two of said holes and retained therein solely by their configuration, a circuit clos-- ing tongue adapted to play freely in the third hole and to make contact with said springs, and a bent wire piece detachably secured across the back of said base and passing through a slot in said circuit closing tongue for the purpose of limiting the movement of said tongue.

6. In a push button, the combination of an insulating base having a groove across the back thereof, contact springs, a circuit closing 'bar having a slot through which passes a wire, portions of said wire lying in said groove and portions being bentso as to grip portions of said base.

7. In a push button, the combination of contact springs, an insulating base having recesses therein, and a circuit closing bar having a slot through which a spring wire is inserted, said spring wire having portionsbent so as to grip said base and be retained within said recesses.

DIMMITT ROSS LOVEJOY.'

Witnesses:

THEODORE H. JOSEPH, JAMns J. EHREUREICH. 

